Spring-button, dress-fastener, and the like



F. HAWKINS.

SPRING BUTTON, DRESS FASTENER, AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION F'ILED APR.20. 1920.

1,343,506. Patented J 11110 15, 1920.

UNITED STATES FRANK HAW'KINS,

PATENT OF SITTINGEOUBNE, ENGLAND.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 15, 1920.

Application filed April 20, 1920. Serial No. 375,346.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK HAWKINS, of 40 Dover street, Sittingbourne, inthe county of Kent, England, a subject of the King of Great Britain,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Spring-Buttons,Dress-Fasteners, and the like, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to spring buttons, dress fasteners and the likewherein one of the engaging parts is provided with a re silient portionwhich coacts with a corresponding rigid portion of the other part toretain the parts in engagement. A spring button of this kind has beenproposed in which the stud constituting the male memher is formed with adivided head to provide a spring portion, one half of said head beinglaterally extended more than the other.

The underside of the head, however, is rounded to enable the head to bedrawn out of engagement with the female portion and the construction issuch that the fastener is liable to become undone accidentally. It hasalso been proposed to form the head of a stud used in a non-spring bootfastener, with a pointed lateral extension having a flat underface.

The object of the present invention is to provide an improved form ofspring button, dress fastener or the like which is not liable to becomeundone accidentally.

In a spring button, dress fastener, or the like made in accordance withthis invention, the underside of the head of the male member issubstantially flat, and one side of said head is pointed and extendedlaterally, while the female member is suitably apertured, and thesprings are so arranged as to tend to retain the male member in such aposition relatively to the female member that the flat underside of theformer overlies the mating parts of the latter, so that when the pointedlateral extension of the head has been introduced between the springfingers with the axis of the male member inclined to that of the femalemember, the male member may be moved (with its axis still inclined)toward one side of the axis of the female member against the action ofone of the spring fingers, the pointed lateral extension of the headpassing through a lateral aperture in the female member, after which theaxis of the male member having been brought parallel with that of thefemale member, the male member mev be allowed to be moved by the stressof the displaced spring finger to a position in which the axes of thetwo members coincide and the under side of the head engages over bothspring fingers, thus securing the fastening, which can only be undone bya reversal of the operation just described.

In some cases, although so much of the under-surface of-the head of themale member as engages over the spring fingers is substantially flat,the underside of the pointed lateral extension of said head may beupwardly beveled toward the point, to facilitate the introduction andwithdrawal of the head into and from its position of engagement.

The. mounting of the spring fingers may be effected in a well knownmanner.

The invention is illustrated by the accompanying drawings wherein Figure1 is a plan of one form of fastening device, Fig. 2

is a cross-section on the line 2-2, Fig. l, and Figs. 3 and i aresimilar views of a modified form of fastening, 4 being a cross-sectionon the line t, Fig. 3, while Fig. 5 is a central cross section of abutton embodying one form of this invention.

In the form of fastening device shown in Figs. 1 and 2 the male member ahas a head 5 whereof the underside is substantially flat as at c, andone side of said head is pointed and extended laterally as at (Z, theunderside of the pointed lateral extension (Z being upwardly beveledtoward the point to facilitate the introduction and withdrawal of thehead 6, into and from its position of engagement as hereinafter setforth. The female member 6 has a cupped portion 7 adapted to receive thehead 6, said cupped portion f being apertured as at g, 9 so that whenthe pointed lateral extension (Z has been introduced between the usualspring fingers 7t, it with the axis of the male member a inclined tothat of the female member 0 as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2, themale member a may be moved (with its axis still inclined) toward oneside of the axis of the female member 6, to the right Fig. 2, againstthe action of the right hand spring finger 72,, the pointed lateralextension (Z passing through the right hand lateral aperture g afterwhich the axis of the male member a having been brought parallel withthat of the female member 6, the male member a may be allowed to bemoved to the left by the stress of the displaced spring finger h to aposition (as shown) 111 which the axes of the two members a and ecoincide and the flat portions 0 on the underside of the head Z1 engageover both spring lingers h, it thus securing the fastening,- which canonly be undone by a reversal of the operation just described.

In accordance with a modification of this invention the pointed lateralextension (Z instead of being introduced into the female member 6 atright angles to a spring finger it may be introduced in a directionsubstantially parallel with the spring fingers h, h for which purposethe cupped portion f is formed with apertures j, j, Figs. and 4:, whichmay be substituted for or in addition to, the apertures g, 9 while thefemale member 6 is downturned slightly at the mouthof the cupped-portionf as indicated at 7s, 70 Fig. 4:. In this case the flat portions 0 onthe underside of the head- I) are situated only adjacent the pointedlateral extension (Z and at the opposite side of the head b. When thehead 7) has been introduced into the female member 0 as above set forthit cannot be separated therefrom by a direct pull even though theunderside of the head 6 is rounded where engaged by the spring fingersh,h as the pointed lateral extension (I and the opposite side of the headengage the disk-like base of the female member 6.

The two members can only be separated by reversing the operation ofintroduction described above. In order to prevent accidental movement ofthe head 6 in the direction of the spring fingers 71/, 7b the latter maybe bowed slightly symmetrically about the axis of the female member a asindicated in Fig. 3.

Fig' 5 shows how a fastening device constructed in accordance with thisinvention may be employed in combination with a hollow 'metal buttontop. The head Z) ofthe male member a of the fastening device isfurnished with a shank m which may be tubular and have one of its endssplit and expanded as at n within the head Z) while its other end issplit as at 0 and adapted to be passed through an aperture 29 in theback Q of a button whereof the crown 4 may be stamped or otherwiseformed to. represent any naval or military regulation but- 4 ton, alivery or other fancy. button. Within the crown r is disposed adeflecting plate 8 whereof the central portion is substantially conicaland adapted to project into the aperture p in the back q, said 'back anddeflect-V ing plate being secured in position by the curled over edge25' of the crown 1" or in any other known manner. The shank m is of suchlength that it may be passed through an aperture 10 in the material '0(indicated in dot and dash lines) and through the aperture 12 in theback Q and when the parts are pressed together the split end 0 will beexpanded by the deflecting plate 8 and secure the male member a to thebutton. The female member (not shown) of the fastening device is securedto the other piece of material to be fastened and the two members a ande are fastened together as above set forth.

Vhat I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is A spring button,dress fastener, or the like, of the kind hereinbefore set forth, whereofthe underside of the head of the male member is substantially fiat, andone side of said head is pointed and extended laterally, while thefemale member is suitably apertured, and the springs are so arranged asto tend to retain the male member in such a position relatively to thefemale member that the flat underside of the former overlies the matingparts of the latter so that when'the pointed lateral exten sion of thehead has been introduced between the spring fingers with the axis of themale member inclined to that of the fe male member, the male member maybe moved (with its axis still inclined) toward one side of theaxis ofthe female member against the action of one of the spring fingers, thepointed lateral extension of the head passing through a lateral aperturein the female member, after which the axis of the male member havingbeen brought palallel with that of the female member, the male membermay be allowed to be moved by the stress of the displaced spring to aposition in which the axes of the two members coincide and the undersideof the head engages over both spring fingers, substan tially as setforth.

FRANK HAWKINS.

